As I ended my time in Olmos, more and more people asked me to be Madrina. I was the Madrina of students at their swearing-in ceremonies, the senior recognition ceremony and of a first haircut. Yes. A first haircut. My first host family made the almost 24-hour trek from south of Lima back to their … More First Haircut
The loud ringer on my Nokia brick phone echoed throughout my room. I let the catchy, yet annoying song finish as I rinsed the conditioner out of my hair. It was too early to be anyone important. As soon as the ringer stopped, indicating the call had gone to voicemail, my phone began ringing again. It … More Appendicitis in Peru
Music is blasting through the speakers just outside the window. The chairs along the wall are filled with people, some sitting quietly, others laughing with their neighbor. Slowly, people begin to clap. Clap, clap, pause. Clap, pause, clap. No one pays attention to the musical rhythm; everyone just claps along how they please. The birthday … More Wait, let’s celebrate!
I spent most of the month of December reminding myself that it was in fact December and Christmas was around the corner. I played Christmas music while sweating and imagining decorations around me. Slowly but surely, the decorations began to appear. Unlike in the States, people don’t start decorating right after Thanksgiving (though the stores … More Feliz Navidad
Birthdays are a funny thing. I often find myself asking someone how it feels to be X-years-old on their birthday, as if they would feel any different than the day before. No, we usually don’t wake up and all of the sudden feel our age, feel wiser or even feel like we’ve physically changed. But, … More Happy birthday to me
Brittany McGee 